Articles
Is the Bible a Simple Book? - 1
It is common to hear an observation like: “God intended for the Bible to be easily understood by all.” But has that been your personal experience? Do you find yourself doing a lot of head-scratching when you read various passages like the latter half of Daniel, or the speeches in Job, or the prophecies of Isaiah, or God’s last words to us in Revelation? Here’s what an apostle said about some of Paul’s writings: “… in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Pet 3:16).
One audience said after hearing Jesus: “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (Jn 6:60). Even the apostles were sometimes befuddled: “Jesus used this illustration but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them” (Jn 10:6). But when He warned them plainly about His upcoming death, “they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him” (Mk 9:32).
Sometimes the disciples sought clarification: “And when He had entered a house away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him concerning the parable” (Mk 7:17). Even parables can be challenging.
Note this observation from The Word of God in English by Leland Ryken: “The fact that God stooped to human understanding when he revealed his truth in human words does not itself settle the question of how simple or sophisticated, how transparent or complex, the Bible is. Human language encompasses an immense range of simplicity and difficulty. Nor does the fact that God accommodated himself to human understanding in itself say anything about the level of intelligence and artistic sophistication possessed by the writers and assumed audience of the Bible” (67-68).
Consider also the element of delayed realization of Jesus’ teaching. Regarding this aspect of Scripture Ryken notes: “Related to the claim that the Bible is a simple book is the assumption that the Bible carries all of its meaning on the surface … It requires stopping and pondering. This is the normal situation with the Bible, which is a meditative book, often elusive on a first reading” (69). Jesus, Himself, acknowledges this when, in washing the disciples’ feet, He says, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this” (Jn 13:7).
The assumption of simplicity may stem from: 1) Opposition to the idea that the Bible can only be understood by theologians and then spoon-fed to the masses, and 2) Belief that anyone can understand the basics of salvation and respond with minimal instruction. Both of these are valid, but they do not support the conclusion that the Bible is simple. It is, in fact, so challenging that a lifetime can be spent studying it with the sense that one hasn’t come close to mastering it. Conversely, Scripture communicates essential truths that are clear and moving to the least sophisticated among us. We cannot make a blanket generalization that the Bible is “simple.”
There are doctrinal concepts, reasoned arguments, parables and prophecies in the Bible that are very challenging. We must work patiently to construct a solid, connected framework of Biblical knowledge. In archaeological terms, some artifacts may be lying on or close to the surface, but others are buried below and have to be excavated. And we must beware of shallow research that twists Scripture into unwarranted or erroneous conclusions. We’ll explore this further in upcoming articles.
